Camille has ignored my texts since my birthday party on Friday night. It's Sunday, and I'm no longer letting her ignore me. I gave her the space I knew she needed to cool down. I'm aware I messed up on Friday, and now I'm prepared to make it up to her.
The way I acted on Friday wasn't me; I should've never allowed her to be treated the way Sadie treated her, and I failed her. When Mario passed the joint to me, I'd never smoked weed before, but being surrounded by my friends and their influence, I wanted to try it. Camille is a goody-two-shoes; she never does anything stupid. Even at thirteen, she knows the difference between good and bad and never allows herself to be influenced by those around her. That's one of the many things I adore about her. I don't know why I even did it. I guess, for once, I wanted to do what those around me were doing, so I didn't turn Mario down.
Even though I knew better and wasn't even a fan of weed in the first place, I still did it. Sure, I sometimes drink on the rare occasion I’m with my friends at a party, but never had I tried weed or ever been interested in it before. When my parents got home, they weren't pleased either.
When Sadie came over and sat on my lap, the guys around me praised me for having the hottest girl in school on my lap. Sadie Marshall is the head cheerleader, has nice tits that developed earlier than most girls, and apparently, she even has the best blowjob skills. Every guy in school drools over her, and though she's sucked a dick or five, she's never chased after a guy or wanted to date anyone until me.
And Sadie wants me, which according to the guys, is a tremendous honor. But I'm not interested in Sadie. I have never been. The only girl I've ever liked or wanted to date is Camille. But I fucked up. I should've pushed Sadie away and stood up for Cam.
I fucked up and spent all weekend thinking about how much I fucked up.
It's my affection for my best friend that has me standing at her front door right now.
"Hi, Dean. Camille is up in her room. You can go on up." Cam's mother, Melanie, smiles at me, stepping aside so I can enter their house. I thank her and run up the stairs two at a time until I reach Camille's door. We never bother knocking on each other's door, so I don't. I just open it, grinning when she jumps, startled by my sudden intrusion.
"Put your shoes on, I'm taking you somewhere." Camille is lying on her bed, resting on her stomach, propped up by her elbows with her sketchpad in front of her. She's always buried in her sketch pad or a book.
"No, I think I'd like to be angry at you for a little longer." Her bright emerald eyes look up at me, her eyebrows pulling together and her eyes squinting into a glare.
"You've been angry at me long enough, and now it's time to go. Put your shoes on." Camille climbs off her neatly made bed with a very dramatic sigh and shoves her feet into the white converse at the end of her bed.
As usual, she is wearing overall shorts with a pink T-shirt underneath. I cross my arms over my chest, leaning against the doorframe as she pulls her dark hair into a ponytail.
The movement of her hair allows me to smell her vanilla coconut shampoo. The heavenly scent is my favorite.
Camille shoves my shoulder with another glare as she walks past me, leading me outside to the driveway toward my awaiting car.
The car ride is silent,but that's fine. At least she came with me even if she does want to continue being angry with me. She got in the car, and that's all that matters. That means she still wants to be around me even if she is mad.
After taking a right, we drive for another few minutes until we reach a gravel road. The rocks crunch underneath my tires, and soon I come to a stop in front of a large blue lighthouse. We are miles away from the city, and there are no houses in sight. We're secluded in the middle of nowhere.
The lighthouse is a few feet in front of us, looking out toward the lake.
"A lighthouse?" I look over at Camille, hiding my grin by rolling my lips inward. She may be upset, but her curiosity is getting the best of her.
"It's actually a house designed as a lighthouse. It's abandoned and has been for years. The man who created it was an architect," I explain, climbing out of the car, Camille following behind me.
I take her hand in mine, lace our fingers together, and begin leading her up the gravel walkway toward the front door. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the physical contact. It makes my skin warm up instantly on contact. Her skin is always so soft.
Once we reach the entrance, I let go of her hand long enough to kneel and reach for the key hidden inside a plastic-shaped rock and turn it over. Opening the little flap, I remove a key and stand up. Unlocking the door, I lead Camille inside, shutting us inside the naturally lit lighthouse.
The sunlight illuminates the inside of the modern style lighthouse-shaped house, showcasing the walls that are covered in blueprints. Walking further into the place, we find a circular table in the center, books and more blueprints splayed out. I can't keep the smile off my face as I watch Camille enter my private space and look around at all the blueprints I’ve been creating over the last six months, when I first discovered this place.
"Are these yours?" she asks, picking up the papers from the table and examining them closely. The lighthouse doesn't have electricity since it's an abandoned house, but I managed to get battery-powered lamps to use whenever I'm here after dark.
I nod. "Welcome to my secret hideout." I wave my arms around with a smile.
"How did you find this place?"
"By accident. I stumbled upon it one day with my dad, and then I came back on my own to explore it even further. It's sitting here, untouched, unclaimed, so I claimed it as my own." She nods, exploring the house.
The inside isn't very big, but it is perfect for me, and I can imagine it was perfect for whoever lived here. Whenever I want to get away when I'm not with Camille, this is where I come.
A few times, I've even slept here.
Camille walks up the staircase to the second level, and I follow behind her. The upstairs is an open floor space. There's another desk, a box spring, and a mattress that I brought here and covered with new bedding so I can have a place to sleep.
"Where did you get a bed, and how did you get it up here?"